Watching Raindrops
by CxXxDarkWolf5xXxD
Summary: Freshly Re-Edited. When a strange rain comes to Camelot it creates monsters and it creates death.What happens when Merlin's magic is revealed,will Arthur's loyalty be for his friend or to his father? And when the beasts attack, will Camelot survive?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and I make absolutely no profit. This is just for fun.**

**A/N: Hope you enjoy this (now edited and refined) story! And yes it's Merlin/Arthur (Slashy pre-slash). Pg-15 Please comment, constructive criticism is very welcome. Set sometime during series 1. (Possibly between series 1 and 2). **

_**Watching raindrops.**_

_In a land of myth and a time of magic_, _the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy. His name... __**Merlin. **_

Arthur sighed, gazing out of the window and watching the rain hit the glass with a sense of growing agitation; it was starting to get to him. He..._liked..._ rain as much as the next person, but when it rained non-stop for four days it started to get tiresome. He couldn't go riding, he couldn't go hunting; even the animals seemed to be staying away from the awful weather, hiding deep in the forest.

He took a sip of his wine, goblet glinting in the light of the fire, the taste smooth on his tongue. He wasn't sure whether it was a real worry or just his imagination but he couldn't help but think there was something...odd, about it all, something unnatural. It unnerved him; the sky was much too dark for midday, dark enough to give the impression night was only an hour away.

And then there was the actual rain, falling so heavily it was hard to see anything more than three metres away clearly, drowning the crops and battering constantly against the window of his room, driving him insane. Heaven knows it wasn't healthy for him to be stuck in the castle when he could be training the knights or practising his sword skills.

And then there was _Merlin_ –the idiot- he hadn't seen his manservant since yesterday afternoon and against all good sense Arthur was starting to worry. Despite being generally useless at everything, Merlin did normally tell him when he wasn't going to turn up for work, but then sometimes Arthur wondered if Merlin struggled to remember his own name. He turned away from the window, bored and frustrated, and decided he might as well go search for his idiotic manservant, he'd probably gotten lost somewhere or fallen asleep in the stables again, Arthur had nothing better to do.

x

He wandered slowly and unhurriedly up the steps to Gaius's study, walking straight in with only the slightest pause to wonder if he should knock or not, the old physician himself was engrossed in some great tome that looked like it had a million and one things in it the prince would never be able to wrap his head around.

Arthur was currently wondering whether he should turn back now and just wait for Merlin to show up, but he'd come this far. Arguably, the only problem he should have with Merlin's absence was the lack of clean shirts returning to his chamber, but instead he found himself missing the man's company.

Merlin was an idiot but Arthur would rather have an idiot around then someone he hated.

"Gaius." Arthur greeted the physician with his usual casualness and Gaius flinched in surprise, whirling round and knocking something from the desk, the glass phial hitting the floor in a shatter of sharp shards.

"Sire," Gaius gave a small half bow of acknowledgement 'I wasn't expecting you.'

"Sorry to disturb you Gaius, but I was looking for Merlin, he's gone and disappeared and someone needs to clean my floor...I don't suppose he's around?" His casualness was a cover for the genuine curiosity beneath it. He supposed he did worry for his manservant, just a little. Merlin was his friend, and he did care. He also knew that he _shouldn't. _His father would have a fit if he knew Arthur was so close to a servant, A prince didn't have a servant as his friend, that wasn't how it worked.

"Did no one tell you sire," Gaius's frown deepened. "Merlin is ill, if you wish to speak to him he's in his room, but I wouldn't advise it. His illness may be contagious.'

The physician nodded towards Merlin's door with a grave look.

Arthur blinked in surprise, of course no one had bothered to mention it to him, did everyone think he cared so little about Merlin's health (or his chamber floors for that matter – they were in desperate need of sweeping)? Perhaps it had been Gwen's job to inform him, she'd probably forgotten whilst going between her work and, most probably, helping to care for Merlin. She was a kind girl, Gwen, selfless. It was admirable, really.

"How bad is it?" Arthur turned to look at Merlin's door forehead creasing with worry. Merlin had better recover soon, he was very good at his job and good menservants' were hard to come by.

"Very, but nothing anyone else who's been out in the rain too long hasn't suffered. He has a bad fever, I'm doing some tests at the moment, but these things take time," Gaius followed Arthur's gaze. "I am sure he will be fine, sire, I wouldn't worry."

Arthur nodded.

"Well I hope it's nothing too serious." He trusted Gaius's judgement, he'd been the court physician for years and Arthur had no doubts in his ability to treat an ailment, therefore it would be of absolutely no use to check up on Merlin. He didn't particularly want to catch anything either. He sighed, said a quick goodbye to Gaius and headed towards Merlin's room with a sense of worry hanging over him like a cloud.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hello, I thought I would try to update every night, just because my inspiration can only last so long... **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin, the BBC do. For now...**

**Chapter 2**

The water was dark, the rippling image of Camelot floating in the middle of the pool like a washed out reflection, the darkness of the liquid crowding in around its brightness. Fingers darted across the water's surface and with whispered words that could have been nothing, a sigh of wind through the cave, a glow of gold from under the hood of the sorcerer's robe, the image changed. It swooped in as if viewed through the eyes of a bird, whirring between the buildings of Camelot till it stilled on the watery picture of a servant girl.

The sorcerer let out a quiet chuckle, observing her double over with an intense coughing fit. The illness was already taking effect. A violent disease carried in the heavy downfall, an illness that could be controlled by the whisper of a word and a wave of the hand. His rain, his magic, clouding Camelot in an air of darkness. Camelot, a kingdom bent on destroying magic yet entirely undefended from it. Stupid.

Shaking his head, the sorcerer completed the spell, fingers once more dancing across the surface of the water. A great deal could be done with water and magic, they flowed together well, he'd been drawn to this place by the lingering touch of the old religion and a name he didn't know. Nimueh. Whoever she was she was gone now.

The water settled, clearing, and the rain around the servant girl shimmered with an ethereal light. Something glittered in her eyes and she dropped the bundle of clothes she was carrying, they hit the floor with a squelch, soaking up the muddy rain water. She stood perfectly still, like someone unseen was whispering something in her ear, then she turned towards the castle walking slowly, unsurely, starting a slow trek towards its doors. The image faded, the sorcerer smiled.

xxXxx

Uther Pendragon was watching his kingdom with a slowly growing knot of worry twisting at his stomach. He was nervous. The rain wasn't right, too dark, too heavy. He could almost smell something sinister in the air. Something evil. The view from the window was dismal, the glass was fogging up, dulling everything outside and then there was the damned rain covering everything with a sheet of water. The knot tightened. He knew magic when he saw it and this...this downpour had been going on for too long, was too violent. Unnatural.

He could see a dark shape stumbling towards the castle, some pour soul caught in the rain, a dark omen of something worse to come. He dropped his gaze to the floor a familiar anger rising past the worry. People who went out into the rain were getting ill; Gaius was overrun with people asking for answers and cures. The disease was like a more violent version of a simple winter illness, but rather than infecting the old and weak, it infected the young, the strong and the healthy. So many of his subjects.

He wanted to believe it was just rain, some storm that was lasting for longer than usual, but when the rain had started the skies had been blue and sunny. The clouds had come out of nowhere, spilling their content over Camelot in the blink of an eye. It had been clear one moment and pouring down the next.

It was sorcery, he knew it in his heart that no other evil could be the cause, yet until he had proof he could do nothing about this rain – only a mad king turned against the weather, and he was not yet mad. He could not order his knights out in search of a sorcerer who might not exist (he had done so in the past, but only when no other cause had seemed plausible) and he could not send his son out chasing ghosts.

Yet he could feel it in his bones that he was right. This was a rain made only from evil. And still...he was clever, sensible and although he knew the cause of the rain, he would not base his actions on a feeling. He would wait for the proof he was certain he would soon have. And so he waited and watched as the raindrops hit the glass.

x

Elsewhere in the castle Merlin was dreaming. He dreamt of sorcery and darkness and the stars. He also dreamt of Arthur, of his friendship and...of something more, something intimate, a bond forged only between them. Yes Merlin dreamt. Dreamt dreams he would not remember when he awoke from his fevered haze, dreams of no real importance yet more important than anything else. Merlin dreamt of the truth. Merlin dreamt of sorcery and rain. He dreamt of darkness and he dreamt of the stars. But mostly He dreamt of Arthur.

In his dreams Arthur's eyes were brighter then all of the stars in the sky.

**A/N Please review. Reviews are love. Constructive criticism is always welcome!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Right sorry about the very late update. Sorry about the shortness of the chapter. Hopefully tomorrows will be better. Reviews are love. Cookies to Bluecup94, sannepan, kesterel2106 and static-as-you-walk-away. Because I promised.**

**Part 3**

Arthur shut the door quietly behind him. His gaze darted around the dark room, a room thick with the heavy sort of atmosphere that always seemed to surround the sick. His eyes fell almost immediately to look at Merlin. He looked terrible, huddled in the middle of the bed with the blanket pulled tightly around him, face pale and shivering like he was deathly cold.

Arthur wished he had some way to keep him warm, but he knew how fever's worked and that wouldn't help, it was an oddly prominent thought and he shook it from his mind. Of course he did. Merlin was his friend. He wanted to be able to help.

He walked over to Merlin, footsteps loud in the quiet of the room, and placed a gentle hand on his friend's forehead. Merlin was boiling up. Arthur had never really understood illnesses like this, how you could feel like you were boiling inside your skin yet be freezing cold to touch or worryingly hot yet feel like you were ice. He felt a pang of pity for his servant.

Merlin stirred, tired and unfocused eyes flickering open. He was dragged further into wakefulness with a cough that seemed to tear itself from him and rattle around the silent room with the force of it, startling Arthur slightly, he took his hand away and crouched down slightly to be at face level with Merlin.

"Merlin." He said it quietly, almost a whisper. "You idiot, what have you gone and caught now?"

Merlin looked startled, turning to look at Arthur, frowning in concentration.

"Arthur?" His eyes were hazy with confusion, and Arthur sighed, fever's were never fun and always a cause for worry. Merlin's voice was rough, his throat dry to the point where it sounded painful, he would not be fit for duty any time soon - he needed rest, even Arthur could see that.

Arthur glanced down at the floor and shook his head; it was kinder to let Merlin sleep then try and force a logical conversation from him (which was hard enough to do at the best of times). Merlin was practically asleep anyway, and Arthur doubted very much that his manservant would remember the visit. "Yes it's me, go back to sleep."

Merlin's frown deepened as he coughed again, chest rattling with it, and Arthur was alarmed to see blood trickle from the corner of his manservant's mouth. That was surely not a symptom of something less then serious, not that he would know, he'd never bothered to learn more than the bare basics of medicine, and that only so he could tend to minor wounds on the battlefield when things were desperate. He would tell Gaius immediately, anyway.

"M'not sleepy, I need to, there was something..." The rest of Merlin's mumbled sentence was lost as Merlin's eyes fluttered shut and he slipped back into a restless sleep.

Arthur watched as Merlin slept for just a fraction of a moment, before rushing from the room to tell Gaius his fears.

Outside the rain took a more sinister turn.

xxXxx

The servant girl slipped quietly into the castle, soaking wet, water dripping slowly from her hair and clothes, breaking into a hundred small droplets as they hit the floor. She looked around, like she was deciding the best root to take, sniffing the air like a wolf hunting prey. She slipped quietly into a nearby doorway, keeping to the shadows, avoiding the guards. A small trickle of blood slipped down her chin, mixing with the droplets of water still clinging to her skin.

xxXxx

Morgana sat quietly in her chambers, wondering where Gwen had gotten too. She'd left earlier to wash some clothes and hadn't yet returned. Morgana glanced at the door worried for her friend, She was sure the girl was fine; still, it wasn't like Gwen to be late.

She sighed and stood up. She needed someone to talk too to take her mind of this dreadful rain. It was terrible and unforgiving and she felt awful for sending Gwen out into it. Well, not that Gwen had really waited for Morgana to tell her to go. She tended to do the work required even when not yet requested. She was good like that, more of a friend than a servant.

Morgana stood and walked to the door, glanced around the room once more, before stepping out into the corridor and letting the door shut behind her.

xxXxx

Somewhere in the darkness the sorcerer glanced once more into his dark pool, watching as the girl went to complete a task set in her blood and in her rain soaked skin. He laughed quietly. Camelot would destroy itself soon enough, with a little help from him of course. Uther would pay dearly for his crime. No one would be spared, except maybe the young warlock. He would be a valuable ally, it would take some work to bring the boy round to his point of view, but then he was good at persuading people. He would watch from the ashes as Camelot burnt and his task would finally be complete. He would get his revenge and how sweet it would be.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Thank you those who are reviewing, cookies for you Dr Dragon Mistress, new reviewer. I am going to start bringing the stories together in the next couple of chapters; I was planning on my cool but very obvious twist to be in this chapter so you shall soon see what it is. Thank you for the reviews again.**

**Part 4**

The girl walked down the corridors of Camelot, stopping every now and then, her memory of the castle like a faded map. It would take quite some time for her to reach her destination, but she was getting closer, she could taste it in the air, just like the metallic taste of blood lingering in her mouth. Her blood, a constant reminder in the girl's mind that something was wrong here, but she couldn't quite remember what. She ignored her doubts and kept moving. She had a job to do.

xxXxx

Morgana wandered the corridors alone for a little while, her thoughts weighing heavy on her mind; her nightmares had been getting worse. They troubled her greatly, some of the things she saw...She blamed it on the rain, something that seemed to be so prominent in all of her nightmares lately, twisting the images making them so much worse. And god what things she did see, things that could not possibly come true, yet if they did...

If they did then nothing, she scolded herself for being so silly, they were just nightmares, and even though she had had... doubts in the past she knew they were nothing to be afraid of, just her deepest fears being pulled to the surface of her mind when she lay down to sleep. The rain was nothing more than rain.

Morgana was pulled sharply out of her own head when she noticed someone else in the dark, cold corridor. Gwen. Morgana's relief was sweet but short lived, fizzling out when she saw the state the girl was in. She was soaked from head to toe, but worse and so much more worrying then that was the blood trickling from the corner of the girl's mouth, god what had happened?

xxXxx

Arthur closed Merlin's door quietly behind him, the worry building slowly within him the more he thought about that small trickle of red that had stood out so vibrantly against the pale of Merlin's skin. He wasn't stupid and he had seen plenty of people with such an illness and though it was dangerous only one had ever coughed up blood, someone old, the coughing had torn up their lungs and they'd died soon after.

And that...was not a pleasant thought to dwell on. Merlin wasn't going to die, he was too stubborn, he'd probably be fine in a few days.

"Gaius, I need to tell you something."

Gaius looked up from his desk, obviously annoyed by the interruption but his face grew worried at the look in Arthur's eyes.

"What is it you wish to say?"

"Merlin's coughing up blood. That hardly seems like nothing to be worried about." Arthur said bluntly, eyes focused on Gaius, being wordy would not help anyone.

"Blood?" Gaius's expression grew grim. "Well, I rather think this changes things quite a bit. This is far worse than I had realised."

xxXxx

Gwen looked up at the figure approaching with a confused tilt of the head, before recognition filtered in past the strange haze that covered her thoughts like a mist. Her hand grasped the rough wooden handle of an object she had hidden up her sleeve, unsure what to do at the woman's approach. She was meant to go unseen.

"Gwen? Are you ok, you look awful." Morgana was obviously concerned, but it took Gwen a few seconds to register the question, her grip tightened around the wood.

"I-I'm Fine." The words were clumsy and stumbled, like she was speaking a new language and was having difficulty pronouncing the words. "I-I'm on my way to see Gai- Gaius ."

Morgana's face was creased with worry.

"What happened Gwen? How long were you out there?" Morgana's guilt bubbled up with the words, fresh and heavy, Gwen had been out in the rain because of her.

Gwen shook her head hard like she was trying to dislodge something from it, and then took a few steps backwards and away from the kings Ward.

"Not long I - I have to go now." Gwen's hand no longer gripped the knifes handle so tightly, The knife she had stolen from the kitchens, Morgana would be no threat to her, she could feel the cold metal against her flesh, slowly warming up, soaking in the girl's body heat. She knew what she had to do, she couldn't stop.

"Gwen!" Morgana's shout followed her down the hall. She knew the woman would follow, but it didn't matter not now she was so close to her destination and she'd lose Morgana easily.

xxXxx

The sorcerer was growing impatient in the dark, the girl was taking too long, soon the physical changes of the ill outside would begin and Camelot would see the beasts among the flock...

**A/N I feel like I should note that I don't know the first thing about flu. Which I should considering the story... I hope you liked this one! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N I am still getting reviews, this fact makes me happy. So the fifth chapter, ALREADY, Wow, I wasn't expecting to get the chapters written so fast, but I have, and here is the proof. Thank you to all of you who have story alerted and favourited this story (and of course reviewed). You give me the will to update. Cookies for you all. Poor Gwen. I'm so sorry. **

**Part 5**

Arthur was not happy when Gaius started talking about diseases of the lungs and how they were more dangerous, and more deadly than a fever – which could be serious in itself. No, he wasn't happy at all. He gathered that Gaius might not be able to cure Merlin if it was. The thought made Arthur feel sick to his stomach, illness was something he couldn't save him from. And Merlin...Merlin couldn't die, not his idiotic servant and, as much as he denied it, his best friend.

"So he might...It's serious? There's no cure?" He'd asked the question three times now, not in those words exactly but not far from it, the answer was taking it's time to sink in.

"As I said before, the illness, if it is one of the lungs, will kill him. He is coughing up blood which makes that the most likely cause, although it is not guaranteed. I am doing some more tests, but I've found nothing conclusive as of yet." Gaius's face looked grave.

Arthur nodded; clinging onto the hope that there _was_ a chance, that Merlin would be ok. He was...more than worried now, not that he could let such emotions show. After all he wasn't sure why he was so torn up about this. Merlin was just a servant, Merlin was also a very good friend, and yet he was still sure there was something else, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something in the way the idea of Merlin...not being... tugged on something inside of him.

In one of the moments he stood silently by as Gaius worked, Gwen arrived outside of the door leading into Gaius's study, it had taken such a long time but she was finally here, staring at its rough wooden pattern. A part of her was terrified. A part that was locked away unable to make an impression or have any effect on the girls actions, a part that was still Gwen, a part that was slowly disappearing, melting into nothing. The fear, she knew, would soon be gone, and she would no longer feel pain or worry, soon she would be free from the binds of humanity. A single tear of blood slid from the corner of her eye leaving a crimson trail on her skin, she wiped it away and shoved open the door. She would complete her mission and then she would be free, he had promised.

Arthur looked to the door as Gwen walked in, unaware of the danger and terror she bought with her. He was about to tell her the news of Merlin's condition, the words a heavy lump in his throat, when he finally looked properly, when he saw her appearance.

There was something about her, something that scared him in the most deep of ways, it was the way the blood was smeared across her face , deep crimson, and her _eyes ._They were so vacant with something malevolent flickering just under the surface . She'd obviously been out in the rain but she was almost dry now, only her hair still damp and with the dampness came the unearthly feeling of there being something not right about her.

"Guinevere?" Arthur's voice was thick with concern, she obviously had the same illness Merlin had but to a higher level, like the illness had eaten away into her dissolving any appearance of good health, of life. Of Gwen. The kind girl with the warm smile and eyes that could melt the iciest of hearts.

"Arthur." She nodded, staring at the prince, was she meant to use his name? She didn't care and it didn't matter, status and bloodlines would no longer matter in the new world, nothing mattered anymore, only her goal. Nothing else. Not now the rain had deposited its curse, Camelot was dead, the world was dead. The dark rain would consume all.

"Gwen, are you ok?" Arthur realised that, evidently, she was not but he didn't know what else to say. She was looking straight through him, like he was a ghost and the world behind him was more interesting, her eyes screamed of illness.

"Yes." A simple absent minded answer confirming his worries, she was quite clearly not well and yet she claimed to be okay. "I'm fine."

What Arthur could not see was the knife hidden in her sleeve, she had a strong grip on the handle turning it, twisting it round and round and round in a hypnotic cycle, the cool and brilliantly sharp blade grazing her skin causing the blood to well up in the shallow cut. _Round and round and round._Cold metal rough wood._Round and round and round._And then Gwen went to fall, breaking the cycle, all life seemingly leaving her body in an act that appeared scarily real and believable, perfect in every way and yet a lie.

"Gwen!" Arthur, like Gaius, was shocked at her sudden collapse and jumped to her aid, trying to catch her before she hit the cold stone floor of Gaius's study and caused herself more pain. He realised too late that Gwen was not unconscious after all; she lunged out the vicious knife blade glinting in the dull light. Arthur didn't see the blade in time to pull away, his momentum carried him forward with no way to stop, the blade would slip into him like a knife through butter, it would be deadly, piercing his flesh, one twist and it would be all over. His eyes widened with fear the blade drew near, and then time seemed to stop.

**A/N A proper cliff hanger, yay. Gweeennn. I love her so much, what am I doing?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Thank you to the people who have stayed with the story. Arthur**_**really**_**isn't having a good day.**

**Part 6**

Arthur didn't see the blade in time to pull away, his momentum carried him forward with no way to stop, the blade would slip into him like a knife through butter, it would be deadly, piercing his flesh, one twist and it would be all over. His eyes widened with fear the blade drew near, and then time seemed to stop.

"Arthur, No!" The cry came from the direction of Merlin's room; the harsh yell tearing itself from the sorcerer's throat, full of emotion, and though Arthur didn't know it yet, of love. Merlin's voice was rough from the coughing, eyes wide and panicked, he was lent up against the door frame barely able to stand.

Arthurs head swung round and in that one fraction of a second everything changed. The knife flew from Gwen's hand as Merlin's eyes glowed brilliant gold channelling his magic, Arthur landing in a heap beside the girl who collapsed as well and was, this time, truly unconscious.

And Arthur saw everything, the whispered words, the glow of eyes that showed for that half second the true extent of Merlin's power and he was... amazed, shocked, confused, grateful but most of all he felt betrayed. The emotion ran deep and he didn't hide it. What was the point? Merlin was a _sorcerer_.

His friend, his companion was a sorcerer, a person who knew nothing but evil. Yet despite the rules, despite the things his father had told him of magic and of spell work, he just couldn't believe it. Not _his_ Merlin.

xxXxx

Merlin's head was throbbing, the world lurching and spinning around him, he couldn't think properly, and the scene before him was playing without sound. Arthur falling towards the knife, and then the knife wasn't there anymore. Had he done that? Had he saved Arthur?

The prince was staring at him with a look of pure betrayal, then it had been him. He had preformed magic in from of the prince of Camelot. That was more than a bit not good. Oh god his head, why wouldn't it stop hurting. He buried his face in his hands and felt a distant stomach turning sensation of falling, a sharp pain in his knees, that wasn't new everything hurt.

He had saved Arthur though, that was all that mattered, Arthur. Arthur had seen him perform magic. Magic that was illegal in Camelot. Arthur was the king's son. The king beheaded sorcerers. Arthur had seen him perform sorcery.

Everything shakily linked itself together in his mind. He felt himself cough, great heaving things that shook his whole body, and yet suddenly he was numb. He could feel himself once again sinking into a darkness that was just below the surface, waiting to trap him in a world of dreams. I am a sorcerer. Sorcerers are beheaded. Arthur knows. If he thought anything after that he didn't remember it. The last things he felt were warm arms wrapped around him.

xxXxx

Arthur looked around the room looking to Gaius and Gwen for confirmation of what had just happened. Everything felt so unreal, like he was trapped in a nightmare and couldn't wake up. If Gaius had seen Merlin's magic, he didn't show it, and Gwen was unconscious. Had he just imagined it?

Arthur saw Merlin fall to his knees out the corner of his eyes, face buried in his hands, obviously in pain. And despite everything that had just happened Arthur almost immediately pulled himself of the floor and rushed to Merlin's side. He hated seeing his friend in pain; he could question Merlin once he was better, but for now all he could do was keep him safe. Everything had happened so quickly...

A second later Merlin was in his arms, deathly pale and barely breathing, the prince was amazed Merlin had been standing at all. Arthur put his ear to Merlin's chest; his servant's heartbeat was weak and unstable. Arthur frowned, picking his friend up carefully, trying not to cause more damage.

Damn it. Why did something like this have to happen? Everything in Camelot had been perfect, if not a bit dangerous at times. And since Merlin had arrived Arthur had been happier than ever. There it was again that emotion bubbling just below the surface, the one he couldn't quite place.

He walked slowly into Merlin's room with Merlin bundled in his arms, placing his friend on the bed. Was that right? Was Merlin just a friend? He pushed the thought out of his head again. He couldn't think like that, how could Merlin mean anything more? Especially now.

He watched Merlin sleep, No that wasn't right either, Merlin wasn't sleeping because he couldn't wake up, Might never wake up. His fist hit the wall with a suddenness and frustration that surprised even him, the pain of it bringing no clarity to his thoughts. He was so confused, he didn't understand how he could feel this way. He rested his forehead on the cool wall. He couldn't love Merlin, Merlin couldn't be a sorcerer and Merlin couldn't die.

**A/N hasn't been checked through because I have to go play my new game the sims 3. Hope you like it and I will fix any mistakes later.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N So. the next chapter. Will we find out Arthurs decision? Will Gwen wake from her trance? Will Merlin wake up at all? Will characters like Gaius speak more than half a line? We shall see.**

**Cookies to Loopstagirl and neko262012 new reviewers, and of course all who have reviewed again. **

**Part 7**

Arthur stood like that for a long time, unsure of how to feel, he didn't know what was going on in his own mind anymore, couldn't trust his own emotions. All those times Merlin had been there to make him laugh, all those times Merlin had created feelings in him that he didn't know existed, and now the idiot had done it again.

What Arthur hadn't expected was for that emotion to be...maybe love, certainly an overwhelming sense of friendship. If someone had asked him yesterday if he loved Merlin, Arthur would have laughed and possibly have them put in the stocks for even suggesting it, but now? Now he would still laugh and put them in the stocks, no one would ever know how he felt, no one would need too.

And then there was Merlin's magic. Arthur had to make his decision carefully in regards to that. He knew what he should do, but whether he actually gave Merlin in was a whole different story. He swallowed and turned away from the wall composing himself.

He took one last look at Merlin than walked away, maybe for the last time.

x

When Arthur emerged from Merlin's room, the first thing he saw was Gaius tying Gwen to a chair. So Gwen really had tried to kill him, he wasn't sure he could get his head around that, Gwen was not a murder - or at least he'd thought she wasn't. To be quite honest this whole day had a disastrous and confusing feel to it with Merlin's magic, the illness, Gwen, and even his own feelings.

Gwen and Merlin's illness could be blamed on the rain, he was certain of it, he couldn't think of what else could have caused it. What he couldn't blame on the rain was Merlin's sorcery, or...his feelings. He approached Gwen and Gaius, trying to distract himself.

Gwen was still unconscious but was stirring now, she would no doubt be awake soon and then Arthur would have her arrested. Gwen's actions could surely not be blamed on anyone other than herself, he didn't want to do it, but what else was there to do? He couldn't allow her to stay free, not when she was so unpredictable, so dangerous. Perhaps the fever had driven her to madness or...

He looked at Gwen properly, she was definitely waking up, time for some awnsers perhaps.

He wondered if Merlin would ever wake up and if not...would that be a bad thing? Merlin was a sorcerer; did Arthur really want him to wake up? Arthur shook himself and focused on the task ahead, no more distractions.

Gaius turned to Arthur.

"I suggest you wait to hear what Gwen has to say before you call the guards, otherwise there is no telling what was going through her mind at the time. This isn't like her at all." There was something going on here and Gaius thought he had an idea of what, but until the girl woke he couldn't confirm it.

"I know." Arthur said it quietly. He wanted to make some sense of what was going on, to hear what had possessed Gwen to try and kill someone. Gwen, the shy girl who tripped over her words whenever Merlin spoke to her, she wasn't a cold calculated killer, there HAD to be something else. An explanation.

Gwen's eyes slowly fluttered open, her eyes darted around the room, she looked slightly dazed. But then with the force Gwen's head had collided with the floor when she'd fallen, that was to be expected.

"Wha-" It took a few seconds for her to realise where she was, the memories slowly trickling back. "Oh my god, what have I done?"

Gwen started to cry, tears trickling from the corner of her eyes, crystals of saltwater leaving damp shining trails on her face.

"Arthur, I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was... I mean I don't understand why I - he just sounded so right, his voice... I swear I wouldn't... I don't..." Whatever else she was going to say was lost in sobs. Arthur swallowed looking away as Gwen broke down; That wasn't the reaction of a cold blooded killer.

But who was 'he'. Someone else was involved then. A someone who'd been able to manipulate Gwen in such a horrendous way that she felt compelled to follow an order to kill. But how?

"Who is 'he' Gwen?" Gaius had obviously picked up on that bit of information also, because it was the first question he asked her.

"I-I don't know." Gwen's face creased in confusion. "I was out in the rain and then there was, he... I don't know, I just remember his voice, it was I- I couldn't ignore it, he just sounded so good. I didn't even understand most of what he said, it was like he was speaking a different language, but it was beautiful...really beautiful."

"I didn't even understand him..." Gwen looked terrified; she didn't try to escape her binds she just slumped back in the chair tears still streaming down her face.

"Do you remember what the words were Gwen?" Was the second question Gaius asked.

Arthur stood back and watched quietly as Gaius questioned the girl.

"N-not really, it was just gibberish, why? Does it matter?" Gwen looked up at Gaius her eyes desperate, looking for some way to explain her actions.

"I think this rain was created by a sorcerer, and that you have fallen foul to their magic. " Gaius looked at Gwen with eyes full of a grave kindness. "I don't believe for a second that you are a killer Gwen, there are darker forces at work here. "

"Sorcery?" Arthur looked up from the floor; of course. What else could it have been? He'd thought himself that the rain was unnatural. "Then we must tell my father immediately, if there is a sorcerer here in Camelot he needs to know."

There was no hesitation in this decision, he wondered if there would be any hesitation if he decided to turn Merlin in...

**A/N Cookies for reviewers, reviews are love, so please review. I hope you enjoyed this one. There's going to be some dramatic scenes soon I think, before you all get bored. ETA: I spend most of my time editing this wondering what in the hell is going on. **


	8. Chapter8

**A/N Have I given cookies to the new reviewers? Oh dear, no I haven't, Cookies for you Weihna and of course all who have reviewed again.**

**Part 8**

Arthur was, to say the least, absolutely furious. He was probably bordering on the edge of losing it completely and killing someone for no good reason except for them maybe slowing him down. Not that he didn't have a reason to be angry, far from it, he had some stupendously good reasons.

At the Sorcerer who had done this yes - at what he had done to Gwen - but also at himself, how quickly his thoughts had turned to handing Merlin over to his father – to having Merlin _killed_. After everything, after all of the...feelings that had been crowding his mind, and still the urge to betray his friend had leapt upon him and almost taken hold so quickly. And that, _that,_ was something he didn't want to face up to right now, so yes, mostly he was angry at the rain.

An evil sorcerer, that was thought that caused a bitter sort of amusement to well up within him, an evil sorcerer and for all he knew it could be Merlin. For all he knew it could be one of his knights or another friend, how could he trust anyone at the moment?

He tried to the best of his ability to ignore the looks he was getting as he stormed down the corridor, sword sheathed at his side, eyes blazing.

Perhaps, in the state he was in, he shouldn't be speaking to his father. He was inevitably going to say something he would regret – not that it would surprise the king, after all he'd never seen Arthur as a good enough prince or a good enough son – but if he stopped now he might lose momentum. Every second counted.

Someone stepped away from the wall, emerging from the shadows like a ghost; Arthur pondered whether it would be bad form to hit them.

The man took down his hood with a flourish, the darkness pulling back to reveal a face that was made of angles and a strangeness to it that instilled a sort of helpless curiosity.

The man before him was handsome yes, but it was his eyes that caught such attention, they seemed to merge and melt between colours like slow honey, a different shade of brown or black every time you glanced at them, perhaps just a trick of the light and yet...

The man, whoever he might be, gave him an amused, lopsided grin. There was a cold sort of bitterness behind it that made the prince shudder but also had him glued in place.

"Hello _Sire_." And there it was a again, that surge of wanting to know more, there was something about his voice, something that made Arthur want to listen to every word.

"What do you want?" Arthur shifted his position slightly with impatience, blue eyes fierce, his words brusque.

"Just to speak, I know you're busy, I just..." There was that strange smile again, and the strange feeling that he knew Arthur better then the prince knew himself. "Felt it was pertinent to tell you not to do anything stupid."

"Out of my way, I don't have time for riddles." His legs felt like concrete beneath him.

"Then why are you still here? You could walk away right now; tell your father what he needs to know." The man tilted his head slightly.

"Say what it is you have to say and _hurry_ up?" Arthur forced himself to listen; for all he knew the figure before him had important information about the threat Camelot was facing, and he couldn't quite pull himself away.

"I think you're making the wrong decision; your _friend_doesn't deserve to die." The laugh at Arthur's shocked look was a cruel one.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Arthur stated simply, swerving to walk around him with his feet unstuck by thoughts of Merlin.

"Yes you do, and you know I'm right, Merlin can't die. He isn't even evil." The figures words were serious now, laced with threat and anger.

Arthur swung round sword in his hand so quickly the man had almost no time to react. The statement had bought Arthur's anger back. He placed the tip of his sword on the man's throat.

"And what do you know of evil? He is a sorcerer, I have yet to meet one who wasn't." His veins burned with the truth of it, and it was a small blessing that they were the only people left in the corridor lest someone had seen him take a sword to the throat of someone who may well be guilty of no crime.

"Who are you?" His sword felt heavy in his hand.

Arthur was not expecting the man to laugh, but laugh he did, Arthur really wouldn't be laughing if someone had a sword to his throat. A sword that felt like lead between his fingers.

"Goodbye, _Sire_." The man's hand went up to the blade, carefully pushing it away, before he turned and strolled away down the long stone corridor. Despite the sudden urge to do otherwise, Arthur could only head in the opposite direction. It was only by the time the man was long gone that a sick heavy feeling settled in Arthur's stomach. Perhaps he'd just let the cause of the trouble walk away.

Outside the rain seemed to get heavier.

Someone caught in the downpour stumbled up towards the castle, they dropped to their knees, coughing violently. There was blood streaming down their face in the rush of water. There was a sickening crunch of bone and the sound of tearing flesh, in the darkness someone screamed.

The illness was changing them.

**A/N Hope you liked it! Reviews are love! **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N part 9. It's raining outside which helps my inspiration. I have the ending planned, only really about three or four chapters left now. Cookies for all reviewers.**

**Part 9**

There was someone out in the rain, just standing there, unmoving_. _The guards were already on their way down, Uther had the knights patrolling the castle and everywhere they could get without going out into the downpour, it was too much of a risk – the rain was not just a carrier of illness as it would seem, but violence too.

Make no mistake the king had wanted to send them out in the rain, had tried to, but Gaius had persuaded him that twenty knights running around trying to kill Arthur and (most probably) Uther would not be a good thing.

Arthur was glad, really, the last place he wanted to be was in the rain. Well, actually at the moment he wasn't so sure. He blamed it on lack of sleep but, whatever the reason, anger had quickly dissolved into depression. Gwen had tried to kill him, Merlin was possibly dying/a sorcerer neither of which had a promising outcome, and the weather was just beyond horrendous and if he was honest he was just having an absolutely terrible day.

He continued to watch the figure, the guards would be down there now, standing just out of view, out of the rain. Anyone who'd been in the rain was now forbidden to enter the castle, it was too dangerous to let potential murderers through the door, and there was no help for them in the Castle anyway. Something caught Arthur's eye, someone else emerging from the darkness and moving slowly closer with shaky, stuttered movements, until they stopped when they were in line with the other figure.

And then more appeared, like shimmering spectres in the falling water, in fact when Arthur pressed his face up to the window he could see at least another seven figures moving out there, which made nine in all. Worry forced its way up his throat and pulled it tight. Something was about to happen, and as much as he would like too he couldn't quite believe it was a good something.

All he really knew was that the nine figures were not friendly, how could they be?

xxXxx

The sorcerer whispered something into the rain, and then slowly left the line, backing away slowly. The eight creatures (not humans, not anymore) would attack at the smallest of movements if anyone came close, but he would not send them forward yet, he would wait; He knew Arthur would be at the door soon, and then they would strike.

They were the perfect hunting machines – built for, speed, stealth and with a hunger for human flesh – the people of Camelot would be easy pickings but they'd fall far more easily without a leader.

A small smile flickered across his face, he couldn't wait to see the carnage, to see Uther fall, to make him watch as his son was torn to pieces, just like Uther had forced the sorcerer to watch his own family burn, his wife and his children.

But first he had an old friend to see.

xxXxx

In a small cold room Merlin continued to dream. The rain had wriggled its way into his sleep hazy mind now, too, pouring through the forest around him from a black sky littered with pinpricks of light. In his dreams Arthur was with him, glowing gold and bright, his eyes pools of deep blue that reflected the skyline of Camelot. The prince's hand was a whisper light touch on his face but it burned like fire. The prince leaned in and Merlin went forward to meet him, their lips close but not touching, never touching. Not even in his dreams.

Arthur's voice floated on the breeze, his eyes flashing a brilliant gold, and Merlin felt a pressure at his stomach. _Merlin, wake up. _

Merlin looked down to the blade in his side, in Arthur's hand.

He woke up.

xxXxx

Merlin's eyes slowly peeled opened and Gaius let himself feel some relief. The remedy had worked. It had taken time, but samples of the rain and a lot of research had finally given him the cure. It was simple potion, enhanced by magic, and whilst he would not have created it under normal circumstances things had been dire and he'd feared the boy would die. It was his fifth attempt, he'd been beginning to lose hope.

Merlin blinked a few times and then he winced hard.

"Ow." Merlin put a hand to his head, a dazed sort of look in his eyes, before he shook himself and tried to focus on Gaius, confusion clear. "What happened?"

xxXxx

The sorcerer sat at the edge of the rough stone ledge and waited quietly.

"You know it's rude to ignore a visitor." His voice was raised only out of necessity and it echoed loudly round the cave.

He listened to the air, to the far off drip of water on stone, wind rushing through like the breaths of some shuddering giant, and as he waited the steady thump of the giant's heart grew loud and close - wing beats. He smiled, the dragon couldn't ignore him forever, and here it came.

There was a roar and then the dragon was there, teeth bared, it smashed down onto the rock in front of him, causing a litter of stone and rocks to break and crumble into the darkness below.

"You!" It hissed, and the sorcerer met its hate with laughter.

"Me." The sorcerer tilted his head slightly, looking carefully at the dragon, one of the few remaining remnants of the world as it was many years ago, before magic was banned.

"This is not the way, Uther must die. Arthur must rise with Merlin by his side, without Arthur there will be no Albion, there will be _no_ magic." The dragon shook its head with a violent angry growl. "You must stop this!"

"No magic, have you not been paying attention dragon? There will not be magic for as long as Uther and his son live, there is no hope for Arthur, it's has been drilled into his head that sorcery is evil, he plans to betray the young warlock Merlin." And was not that the final proof that Camelot, as long as it was under the rule of Uther and Arthur, was surely lost to magic forever?

"IDIOT!" The dragons roar was deafening and he smashed his claws into the rock with a frustrated hiss, causing shards as sharp as broken glass to fly in all directions. "Arthur is the last chance this land has, is revenge so important to you that you are willing to pay such great a price?"

The sorcerer looked shocked for a second, a piece of sharp rock embedded in his skin, hand darting to his face. His fingers came away slick with blood, his fist curled in anger.

"This is not purely revenge; you know I want magic to return to this land just as much as you do." The words were growled into the air between them, a final chance to make his point known. "Agree to help me and I will release you from your bonds."

"I cannot help you when your plan will ruin us all!" But this, the dragon realised, was a point lost to the sorcerer. Revenge could so easily drive one past the point of reason or logic. "Think about the consequences of your actions."

"I have." The sorcerer got to his feet. "But I know what's right, the prince must die along with his father."

"Then I have no choice." For one small moment the dragon felt sadness, his friend was almost unrecognisable, but in some ways that made it easier.

He roared, flames erupting from his jaws, blue and orange-red, hot and deadly. The sorcerer was quick his whispered words a shimmer of dark magic, reflecting the flames back. His eyes were wide with shock, he knew the dragon would be angry, but try to kill him?

His friend had changed beyond recognition, or maybe it was he who had changed. Either way he'd never moved so quickly, he was out of the cave before the dragon could attack again. He heard the dragon's frustrated roar as it took flight. He blocked it out as it called his name.

He closed his eyes and sent the creatures forwards.

xxXxx

Arthur rushed down to the main doors and was greeted by a distinct lack of guards. This was not a comforting development.

He swung the doors open, standing just inside to avoid the rain and was greeted with a sight more grotesque then anything he'd ever seen. Humans breaking and stretching before him with the crack of their bones loud enough to be heard even over the downpour, and beneath them the shattered remains of some of the guards. And now he'd caught their attention, the beasts had turned towards him and the light of Camelot. Arthur found himself frozen in place.

The creatures moved with a shuffling gait, some on all fours, some on two feet, all of them fast. Their roars and growls could be heard throughout the castle, something between a human scream and a dogs bark. Arthur could see them more clearly now, their claws were made from bone, like they'd torn out through the tips of their fingers, leaving the flesh a bloody mess, but it was the face that was worst.

It was...horrific, the skull had elongated, like that of a wolf, but the skin had not, it was torn of in some places and in others hanging in bloody flaps. The teeth had also changed; where once there were human teeth now there were vicious looking fangs, they grew over the bottom jaw pushing out from under the top lip, long and sharp and deadly.

It was like they had outgrown their own skin, he could barely tell which had been female and which had been male even with the strands of hair still attached to the remaining skin. There were other obvious mutations, especially in the monsters on all fours, their spines twisted out of shape so that they would never walk on two feet again. Those that still walked upright had feet that stretched to make them taller, and to push them forwards faster.

And Arthur ran, not as some might say in fear, but to get the knights and to warn the people. Arthur was not stupid, he could not take the eight beasts out on his own, if he tried he would die, and the others in the castle would be unprepared for the attack. They would be killed like rabbits in a trap.

**A/N Soooo...there we go then. Reviews are welcome, comments are love.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Please review, cookies for reviewers, Thank you all who have reviewed! I am not known for my skill with names, just as a forewarning. **

Part 10

And Arthur ran, not as some might say in fear, but to get the knights and to warn the people. Arthur was not stupid, he could not take the eight beasts out on his own, if he tried he would die and the others in the castle would be unprepared for the attack. They would be killed like rabbits in a trap.

The warning bells rang, the creatures breached the castle doors, the battle had begun.

xxXxx

Arthur ran fast through the hallways of Camelot, he'd already stationed his knights outside of the throne room, the chosen 'safe zone' due to its thick doors, but the battle was going badly. Three knights had already fallen to the creatures. They just wouldn't die, he would know, he'd stuck his sword right through one and it'd still gotten back up and walked away without so much as a flinch.

_Arthur's blade flashed in the light as he plunged it into the creatures chest, he looked up to see one of the creatures leaping from the floor, claws tearing straight through Sir James's armour, blood spurting out through the jagged holes in the metal. The knight didn't even have time to scream before he died._

_Arthur pulled his sword free of the creature, anger filling him as he charged towards the one that had struck down his friend. It turned slowly towards him, sniffing the air and huffing out a warning, another knight stumbled past too close, his helmet lost in the fray, and the monster turned on him sinking it's teeth into his throat._

_And then a growl sounded from behind Arthur who spun round to see the one he was so certain he had killed __**drag**__ itself back onto all fours and ready itself to attack Sir Luke. Arthur shouted to him in warning, but the knight was too slow, spinning round only to find the creatures claws tearing into his face leaving a raw bloody wound of gauged out flesh in its place._

_Arthur had turned and shouted an order to secure the hall to the knights , told them to warn anyone they saw of the threat, and then turned and ran down the corridor as fast as he could in heavy armour._

He was warning as many of the people of the danger as possible, his footsteps echoing through the castle walkways with every step, he needed to get back quickly, to help his knights but he couldn't leave people unprepared. He almost ran straight into a shaken looking Morgana, stumbling to a halt in front of her.

"Morgana!" His relief was almost visible. She was okay.

"Arthur, what on earth is going on?" She was worried, terrified, everyone in the castle was running about in panic and she had no idea why.

"Get to the main hall, _quickly_, there are...creatures, they're already in the castle. If you see anyone else on your way warn them, but don't stop, just run as fast as you can and _don't stop_ _for anyone._" Arthur paused to take a breath. "But don't worry, we will beat them."

And then he was running again as fast as he could, whilst Morgana took off in the opposite direction, on her way to the hall she found herself a sword.

xxXxx

Merlin stumbled out into the corridor, tripping over his own feet in his rush. He and Gaius had heard shouts of panic, and despite Gaius's warnings that he should rest; Merlin needed to see what was happening, he could be able to help after all.

He walked straight into Arthur, sending them both sprawling across the floor. It just wasn't his day was it (or two days maybe, he felt like he'd slept for weeks)? He groaned, pulling himself to his feet, and only then did he see the look on Arthurs face.

"Merlin? You're awake." Arthur looked shocked for a second, but then shock seemed to turn into something else; it turned into distrust. Arthur got to his feet taking a cautious step back from his servant.

"Gaius found a cure, I...is something wrong?" He paused, taking in Arthur's appearance; the man's face was stained with blood and his armour was battered, he'd clearly been in a fight. Merlin's chest tightened with a sick sort of worry. "What's going on...?"

This seemed to kick Arthur back into action, pulling him away from his thoughts. Was the man in the cloak right? Was Merlin evil? Did he deserve to die? They were questions to answer after all of this was over.

"Get Gaius and get to the main hall, there are monsters in the castle, I need to speak to you but there's no time. And Merlin..." Arthur disappeared back down the steps throwing the word "_Hurry_!" Over his shoulder.

Merlin stood there for a second, registering Arthurs words, and then he went straight back to Gaius's study to tell him what they had to do.

xxXxx

The people waited quietly in the hall, they could hear the knights' yells and the inhuman screaming of the beasts, Merlin could pick out Arthur's shouts from the chaos that was just outside the door and found himself itching to be by the prince's side. He wanted to _help. _ It didn't sound like the battle was going well, there was the occasional scream, and sometimes you knew the knight was dead after that, other times it was impossible to tell. The horror of it was always the same.

He wanted so much to go out of those doors and use his magic to destroy the monsters tearing apart Camelot's people. Whilst he knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that they too had been human once, before they'd gotten caught out in the rain, he knew they weren't anymore, they were nothing but savage beasts.

But he couldn't help, not without exposing himself, not that that would have stopped him if it meant saving people's lives, no what stopped him was the thought that, if he opened those doors, one of the creatures might get in. His eyes darted to the corner of the room where a mother and her two children sat huddled together, both the children were crying, the mother was trying her best to comfort them but there were tears in her eyes also. No, he couldn't risk it.

The fighting had reached the doors about 10 minutes ago, since then no-one had been able get in or out of the hall. Uther was fighting now too, he'd been the last person to join the battle after one of the maids had called him a coward, she was still here but Merlin knew the second this was all over Uther would probably have her put in the stocks for her words - if Uther survived.

The noises of battle raged on for what seemed like forever. Merlin was starting to think they would never stop when the quiet came. The sudden silence filtered into the room like a tidal wave, like the calm before the storm, and Merlin found himself holding his breath. Something hit the doors, hard, causing them to shake, he heard the lock splinter, A few people in the room screamed.

Another thump and Arthur came flying through the doors into the hall.

He'd obviously been thrown with great force, and he hit the floor at full speed, fresh blood slowly trickling down his face, Merlin couldn't tell if he was breathing. He was by Arthur's side in a second, eyes wide with panic, there was a lot of blood – too much blood.

Beyond them, the creatures followed, leaping into the hall, attacking the nearest people and ripping them to shreds. One of the beasts scaled the wall, one was crawling across the ceiling, the people were trapped, and Arthur wasn't moving.

**A/N Moar Monsters = More fun. Some Merlin/Arthur coming up so I hope you enjoyed! **

**Please review. I will give you cookies.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N OK so, part 11, This one took a little while, but here it is, thank you all for the fantastic reviews, cookies for you and of course cookies for Morena Evensong new reviewer! ETA: Spells are either stolen from the show or (no doubt) horribly mangled Old English.**

**Part 11**

The knights followed next, shining swords stained with blood, Uther was at the front, leading them to death. Half of the creatures turned to stare at the knights, forked tongs' slipping past their cracked lips, the others continued to crawl towards the other people in the hall.

The beasts were still mutating, slower now though, a couple of them had tails stretching from the base of their spines. They whipped the air, swooping from side to side, the skin hardened to create lizard like scales, with large chunks of flesh missing revealing the marble coloured bone beneath, helping the monsters balance on their sometimes unsteady feet.

The knights spread out, a couple for each creature. The beast on the ceiling dropped onto an unsuspecting knight below, crushing his skull under one foot, the metal of the man's helmet crumpling inwards, blood slowly pooling out around his head.

Merlin called to Gaius to come help with Arthur, and then turned back to the prince, unsure of what to do. His hand lightly touched the back of Arthur's head; the prince's hair was matted with blood, the wound was bad.

" Þ_urhhæle dolgbenn._" he couldn't help but utter a few words to help heal it and stop the bleeding. In Merlin's illness weakened state the spell took enough energy to make his head spin slightly and he shuddered, trying to focus his vision.

"Arthur," Merlin whispered the prince's name. "Come on you have to wake up, you have to be ok, your people need you." _I need you._

"Merlin?" The Prince's eyes fluttered open, staring into Merlins, and time seemed to stop. The chaos surrounding the two slowly dissolved, just for a second, till there was nothing but them.

"I...What's going...I heard – you're– Merlin I know your secret...I" The prince said quietly, before squeezing his eyes shut, groaning in pain, breaking the spell. Merlin was shocked, what did Arthur mean by that? "Ow. My head. What happened?"

"Arthur I..." What did Arthur mean, did he risk confirming whatever Arthur thought he knew? No, no not yet. Not unless he knew the prince knew for certain, and knew what he knew at all. "You got thrown into a door. Don't worry, you looked very dignified for someone being used as a battering ram."

And then Gaius was gently pushing Merlin to the side so he could examine Arthur's head, A creature smashed into a wall nearby, knights pinning it to the stone with their swords, Merlin heard the crunch of bone as the sword smashed through one of the beasts ribs.

But the fight wasn't truly registering at the moment, what did Arthur know? There were only two things he could have meant.

Arthur cursed forcing himself up into a sitting position, hands almost slipping in the blood beneath him, his head was still bleeding but not as much. Gaius saw Merlin's concerned look.

"Head wounds bleed a lot and Arthurs is significant, not as bad as it could have been though, he was lucky the impact didn't fracture the skull," The man paused "But I have no doubt he has concussion. I'm going to need to keep an eye on this wound; we need to get him back to my study."

The fight raged on around them. One of the beasts was nearby, aiming for a knight who had his back turned, it stopped, it stood perfectly still. Its head turned slowly towards Merlin, Arthur and Gaius, it sniffed the air with its almost blind eyes no longer any use. The creature's ears twitched.

Merlin slowly moved closer to Arthur so if the beast should attack he could protect the prince, he slipped on something, the blood, he let out a yelp of surprise, the creature growled, and then it attacked, narrowly missing Merlin and instead landing on the prince, raising its claws to attack.

Merlin reacted almost immediately, he was on auto-control and before he could stop them the words left his mouth.

" Forbærne Áwieleþ!_ "_The flame leapt from his hands, burning hot, the hall around them glowed with the light it caused, blue and red, leaving flickering shadows on the wall. Everyone in the hall turned to look; It was an amazing sight, the fire rolling over the beast and throwing it against the stone, leaving a crisp black burnt shell.

The fire seemed to pull itself back into Merlin's hand, melting slowly away, the rolling flame gone almost as quickly as it appeared. All eyes were on the young Warlock.

Merlin saw the looks, some people backed away in fear or awe, even the beasts stopped their killing for a matter of seconds, like the roar of the fire had distracted – perhaps scared- them. Uther's face stormed over with a terrifying rage, perhaps he thought Merlin had created the curse, and had he not been engaged in battle would have been more than happy to use his sword on Merlin. It was at that moment Merlin knew he was dead, no matter how the fighting ended, Uther would hunt him forever. Yet as quickly as the fighting had stopped, it resumed.

The world shuddered suddenly.

The windows shattered inwards, shards of glittering glass falling to the floor, imbedding themselves in anyone who got in the way. The rain poured through the new entrance, an unnatural wind rushing into the hall, the lights flickering out. someone else entered through the doors, bringing darkness behind him, His eyes were pure black and glittered with golden pinpricks of light. Merlin was strongly reminded of a sky in a dream he couldn't recall.

The stranger laughed at the sight before him, all that death, the smell of blood filling the air, to him it looked like victory. He glanced briefly at the monster Merlin had attacked, it was still trying to move, even though there was nothing left but blackened bone. He gestured towards it and it turned to dust, it was useless now.

"Sorry I'm late; it seems I've missed all the fun. Not that I mind. Things still look very interesting." He grinned, spinning round to view the whole room, cloak dancing around him. His gaze finally fell on Merlin, Arthur and Gaius. He made a small gesture and Gaius flew through the air hitting the wall. "I was never any good at timing."

The sorcerer walked forwards, the few creatures not engaged in battle seemed to bow to him, their skin stretching tightly over their spines. He looked at the two figures in front of him, Merlin was helping Arthur too his feet, the prince was having trouble stopping the room from spinning.

"You two are so _sweet_, did you know? The prince and his servant. Merlin, let Arthur go, I'm going to kill him, and I'm going to destroy Camelot. But don't be alarmed, I'll make sure a better kingdom is built in its place." The man tilted his head slightly looking Merlin up and down. "If not, I suppose I'll have to kill you, or perhaps I can persuade you to help me later."

He said it casually as if talking about the weather; His mouth twitched up at the corners at the look on Merlin's face, at the anger and the shock.

"You will not harm him." Merlin would not allow it, sorcerers like the one in front of him were the reason magic was now so feared in the kingdom, and if Arthur was killed by one there would be no hope for the future. And there would be no Arthur, which would be even worse.

The sorcerer shrugged and waved his hand slightly, and Merlin gasped as a nearby creature bought its teeth down on someone's skull, splattering him and Arthur with bits of blood and brain. His stomach turned, he was suddenly glad he hadn't had anything to eat. He forced out the next few words "Who are you?"

"Me? It doesn't matter who I am, all you need to know is Uther murdered my family, I'm simply returning the favour. I've waited so many years for this, to get revenge, to free magic." He paused. "My names not special, it's just David."

"You're not killing anyone else, you're the one who's going to- to uh – die! Tonight." Arthur stuttered the words with a fierce determination, ignoring the ache in his skull and reaching for a sword. The sorcerer raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" He grabbed a sword from the dead fingers of a knight, the body already going cold. "Let's see about that hmm, will you fight me Arthur, will you kill me?"

"Don't think I can't?" Arthur stumbled forward, clumsily waving his own sword out in front of him.

"Arthur! Are you crazy? You can't even stand on your own!" Merlin knew his words wouldn't stop Arthur now, but he could still try.

"Merlin, don't be so adorable- no uh, that's not the word at all- don't call me crazy. And stop being so pessimistic, it doesn't suit you." Arthur shook his head and focused on the fight ahead. Merlin frowned. _Adorable?! _He was not adorable, he could be very threatening if he wanted to be. Maybe he'd meant to say annoying?

The sorcerer rolled his eyes and bought his sword round in a low arc that would slice through Arthur's middle.

"Arthur -," Merlin glimpsed the blood encrusted sword descending through the Air towards the prince, and there wasn't any time to question Arthur's bizarre word choices, he'd probably just said it because of his head injury. "Look out!"

The prince swung round bringing his sword up to meet the other, Merlin knew the prince would fall under the weight of the blow and was by the man's side before he could even think about it, helping to keep him standing.

The beasts formed a circle round the three, any attempts to rescue Arthur or Merlin would be stopped by claws and teeth, the people in the hall watched from a distance. If this fight went well perhaps the beasts would die and they would survive. If it went badly...well. The knights stood back, while the monsters weren't attacking it would be foolish to waste more life on attacking them, they didn't want to distract the prince either.

The sorcerer threw back his head and laughed.

"_**You**___kill _**me**_" David swung the sword back round, Arthur only just managed to stop the blow when it was seconds away from slicing into his arm. "Yes, well, somehow I don't see that happening."

The sorcerer lunged forward, this time Merlin stopped the sword with a quick spell, David was thrown backwards.

"Oh, well now that's just cheating." He lifted his hand "But of course two can play at that game. _Ástríce!_"

The fireball knocked Merlin dangerously close to the beasts, which lashed out, trying to take a chunk out of the warlock who scuttled back into the centre of the circle.

David laughed bringing his sword back round to block Arthurs futile attempts at attacking him, there just wasn't enough power behind the prince's sword. The prince growled with frustration, his head was killing him and the room was starting to spin again, but he had to finish the fight, it wasn't just his life that was in danger.

Merlin swung round throwing a small spell at the man, and then with a sort of luck that seemed almost imposssible – like it was something planned - everything slotted together, Arthur finally managing to collect his thoughts enough so that he could attack with force, the sorcerer turning his head away just for a second to block Merlin's spell.

None of it was planned and yet it was the perfect attack, the sorcerer's loss of concentration and Arthurs gain of it. The sorcerer didn't see the attack till the prince's sword ripped into his side cutting through vital organs and sliding through flesh like butter.

David glanced down at the sword, the black of his eyes fading till they were their normal chocolate brown colour, a look of shock painted across his face, and for a second he was just a normal man again, for a second he was the person he used to be. He looked directly into the prince's eyes, as if asking for forgiveness, but then it was gone.

Arthur pulled the sword away and the sorcerer's hand immediately went to the jagged hole in his left side, applying pressure in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding, blood leaked into his clothes slowly spreading out in a crimson rose. He knew he would die of blood loss, and didn't really know why he was trying to hold it off, but the survival instinct was strong.

"That was," He paused gasping for breath finding it suddenly hard to breathe "Lucky."

"I told you I would win," Arthur paused, glancing at Merlin before staring into David's eyes. "We would win."

Blood trickled down the man's chin and the creatures around them fell to the floor, dying with their master. They rotted slowly away, the smell of decay filling the hall, the skin slowly left their bones with chunks of black-green flesh that turned into a sickening goo which leaked away through cracks in the floor, the bones turning to dust that caught in the wind, flying out through the shattered windows.

And then finally, _finally_, for the first time in days, rays of sun shined down into the hall as the clouds and rain outside ceased.

The knights that were left watched quietly, some started to help others with their wounds. Merlin looked around the room as the people slowly came out of the shadows in the room and into the sunlight. Sunlight they hadn't seen for 5 days, closing their eyes as its warmth reached them, some people's hands rising to shield their eyes from the sudden brightness.

Other people were crying over the bodies of dead loved ones, so many tears, so much lost, all because one man wanted revenge. Merlin looked slowly around the room, a mother held a dead child in her arms rocking it back and forth, screaming in anguish at her loss, blonde hair matted with blood falling in sticky strands across her face. The blood. It covered everything, the hall was red with it, it was everywhere, on everything.

David looked up into the sunlight eyes wide, then looked around the room, he knew he was going to die, but not here. Arthur knew what the man was going to do before it happened, the sorcerer's lips moved with words the prince didn't understand, and then David was gone. Arthur lunged after him.

"NO!" Arthur collapsed in a heap where the sorcerer had been the man was gone, god knows where, and whilst Arthur knew David would die something in the back of his mind told him it might not be so simple. Whatever else happened was lost as Arthur's head throbbed and he found himself slipping back into unconsciousness.

Merlin saw Arthurs collapse and moved to the prince's side, the prince was unconscious again, probably because of his head injury. Merlin couldn't really do that much for him at the moment so he sat down beside Arthur instead, rolling him onto his back and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder and spoke even though he knew the prince wouldn't hear him. "Knew you could do it."

He searched for his other friend, and saw Gaius was already back on his feet and tending to the injured, the hall was suddenly like a make shift hospital, all those who could help rushing out to get fresh bandages, herbs and medicine.

Many of the survivor's wounds were fatal. A man's hand was clamped over his own stomach, the only thing keeping his insides from falling out. Merlin glanced down at the floor and shuddered. Camelot would not recover from this easily.

The screams hadn't stopped with the sunlight or the end of the battle, and the smell of carnage filled the air, Merlin felt sick looking at the pain one man had caused, many people had survived and there would be new knights but the lost lives could never be replaced.

And then he saw Gwen rushing in with bandages and a worried expression. Morgana was comforting a small child who had lost their mother, a bloody sword cast down beside her – she'd had to fight her way in- her face soft and kind. He was relieved they were ok. It was just like them, helping, somehow he wasn't surprised it was Morgana looking after the child, perhaps he reminded her of the druid boy she'd helped him save.

He turned back to the prince. He was about to start checking the man's wounds when someone grabbed him by the shoulder. He looked up to see Uther's face, the kings eyes full of anger and hate. And oh god of course, Uther had seen, _everyone _had seen. He'd preformed magic in front of _Uther_.

"Guards, Arrest this man for sorcery." Uther's words rang in the young warlock's ears. He was going to die _he_ was going to die. Oh god. All the death, and now his own, he felt numb with the shock. But he'd _saved_ Arthur, surely that counted for something?

**He was going to die.**

A couple of remaining guards stumbled forwards grabbing Merlin by the wrists. The boy didn't struggle. What was the point. That would only make things worse.

The king turned to face him again.

"You and all your kind disgust me. I'm surprised I didn't see you for what you are earlier. With your death Camelot will be a better place. And know this, if you have hurt my son in _any_ way, you will suffer a penalty worse than death." The king walked away to kneel by his son and Merlin's heart stopped, because if there was one thing he would never do it was hurt Arthur.

Merlin was dragged through the wooden doors of the hall, past the splintered remains of wood, and towards his death.

**A/N Poor Arthur, that really was a lucky hit. So, I hope you liked it and reviews are always awesome! Feel free to point out any mistakes. ETA: I know they are plentiful but I'm aiming to fix them as best I can. This story will never be amazing with the plot what it is but I have a soft spot for it in my heart because it was my first real attempt at a fanfic. **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Thanks all who reviewed, cookies to you. Odd mood at the moment, I think my tired brain is having trouble doing anything because it's being viciously attacked by Merthur plot bunnies...**

**Review and you get cookies, and also many thanks. **

**Part 12**

Arthur returned to consciousness slowly, bright light filtering through his eyelids and scratching at the inside of his head like a blade, the world a blur when he finally peeled his eyes open. He was...in bed? But how? They'd been fighting...He tried to think past the pounding in his skull to the previous events of the day. The creatures had attacked Camelot, there'd been a battle, a sorcerer and...**Merlin**.

He remembered now, all too clearly, Merlin's use of magic. Had his father seen? Of course he had, everyone had, whilst it took the dilemma of whether or not to turn Merlin in for his magic it raised other more prominent ones: Where was Merlin? And would his father have him killed? He would like to think not, it had clearly been a joint effort between he and Merlin to defeat the sorcerer and that should count for something, yet...

Yet Arthur knew that wasn't how his father's mind worked. Merlin was a sorcerer and that meant he had to die. Arthur scrunched his eyes further shut and took a deep breath. Merlin, the _idiot_. What had he been **thinking**? Only a few days, maybe a few _hours_ ago he would have had Merlin arrested himself but now? Not now. Maybe he never would have, he certainly would have questioned Merlin first, but his father? Performing magic in front of the king was a death sentence no matter the reason for it.

And...

How long had he been unconscious? Was it even the same day? Doubts suddenly flooded his mind- _Maybe Merlin is dead; maybe he was executed while you were unconscious, even if he isn't dead he will be soon, you can't object...this is one subject you cannot defy your father on._ He forced himself to sit up in the bed, ignoring the way the room swayed and lurched around him, leaning heavily on his elbows. He had to think this through. Perhaps there was a way to save his friend, get him out of Camelot or-_._

He collapsed back into the pillows in frustration and let his eyes flutter shut. He needed to _think_.

It was only when someone entered the room that Arthur realised he'd been slowly drifting back to sleep. He looked up and saw his father. No Merlin and his clumsiness and his normally chirpy muttering to wake him up today.

"Arthur, you're awake." Uther's face was the very picture of relief, it was written in every line and crease of his skin and in the widening of his eyes, his son was awake which meant his son was alive.

"Father." He nodded, and then considered his next words carefully, he didn't want to anger his father but he couldn't do anything if he didn't know what was going on. He decided to forge ahead, pushing himself back up onto his elbows. "Where is Merlin?"

"The sorcerer is of no concern to you now. He is to be executed tomorrow morning." Uther had a sort of sick pride to his smile then, like all was right with the world, and Arthur felt sick. "You're safe now, Arthur, he's not a danger to you any longer."

"Executed!" Arthur forced himself further into a sitting position, wincing at the throbbing in his head, he'd expected it but the unfairness of it had him dancing on the edge of anger."He's done nothing wrong!"

"_Arthur._ He is guilty of performing magic, there is no worse crime, surely now, after you have seen the evil and damage it creates, you will not object." Uther looked away with a angry sort of worry, shaking his head, a disgust Arthur didn't want to think about burning in the grey of his father's eyes.

"Father, Merlin is not evil, He has done nothing but protect this kingdom... And he's saved my life more than once," And he had, hadn't he? All those amazing strokes of luck and amazing escapes...Perhaps those had been Merlin all along. "Anyway, he can't walk more than two metres without tripping over his own feet, he's hardly Camelot's greatest threat."

"Regardless of what he or hasn't done, he is a sorcerer. I will not have you argue with me Arthur. How long will it be before the evil of magic corrupts him? For god's sakes Arthur. No. No, surely he has corrupted your mind with such poisonous thoughts. I will not waver on this Arthur." And that tone meant end of conversation. Uther whirled round and out of the room in a bitter rush of anger, perhaps more determined than ever to stick to his word.

Arthur forced himself to his feet, nausea rushing over him as the room ran circles around him, the floor shaking beneath his unsteady feet; he placed a hand on the cold stone wall to stop himself from falling, taking a deep breath. How hard had he hit the floor?

When the room settled back to normal he rushed to get dressed, a new urgency in every movement, he had to see Merlin. Perhaps with Merlin's magic and his status they could find a way to smuggle Merlin out of Camelot

xxXxx

Things a prison guard learnt about Prince Arthur in the early hours of the morning:

He was an excellent fighter.

He was very determined.

You did not get between him and a friend.

Arthur slammed the guard up against the wall with a force that surprised even him. The man was being _stubborn_, and with the headache Arthur had at the moment defying him was a very stupid thing to do.

"Give me the keys or I will kill you were you stand." Arthur's sword pressed lightly on the skin of the guard's throat, the blade glinting dully in the light with the silent promise of bloodshed. He wouldn't kill the man but the guard didn't know that and the prince had a look in his eye that someone would be unwise to ignore.

"Pl-please, I swear, if I could I would my lord, but if the king finds out I gave you the keys the punishment would be severe and I-" And that was the terror Arthur's father inspired in people. Arthur's grip tightened.

"Yes. Yes I suppose you're right..." Arthur's mouth twisted into a mockingly charming smile (the guard made the mistake of relaxing) as he took his sword away from the man's throat - and then smashed his fist into the guards face. "...And now it wasn't your fault."

Arthur watched as the man slide to the floor unconscious. That was going to hurt a hell of a lot when he woke up. Arthur sighed taking the keys from the man's hand. The guard should know when someone is asking for something they can't have, the worst thing you can do is pick it up or show them where it is. Arthur flexed his hand slightly, if nothing else he actually felt a little better now.

He turned and jogged down the rough stone steps to the cell where Merlin was imprisoned. He hated this place; it wasn't fit for rats, let alone human beings.

His manservant was slumped in a heap of dirty clothing and an air of defeat. Arthur turned the key in the lock. "Honestly, just when I was starting to think you could take care of yourself Merlin."

Merlin looked up from where he lay on the floor, pressed up against the cold back wall of the cell. He looked terrible, the happy gleam in his eye replaced by the ghost of emptiness, and he looked like he hadn't eaten for days. The young warlock forced himself into a sitting position.

"Arthur?" Merlin's voice was rough, his throat dry from lack of water.

"Who else?" Arthur walked over to the young warlock, looking at the cold metal cuffs that were chaining him tightly to the wall to the wall, they were heavy and cruel looking. He crouched down, hand tracing lightly over the edge of the cuffs where they rubbed at Merlin's skin, leaving it red and sore. Arthur tried to act normal but his words lacked their usual enthusiasm. "You've hardly got visitors lining up to see you."

"What are you doing here?" The tiredness in Merlin's eyes was heartbreaking, but the surprise was more so, but then of course Merlin hadn't expected Arthur to come – why would he?

"Rescuing you, what does it look like?" Arthur swallowed down nervousness as he unlocked the chains; they fell to the floor with a clang. There was no turning back now.

Arthur pulled Merlin's wrists towards him, anger bubbling up inside him at the nasty mark they'd caused, the skin was red and in some places it had been rubbed away and bruised – on for a while then. He took a deep breath; they could sort that out later. "We need to hurry. The guards are more incompetent then you but even they're likely to notice something is wrong eventually."

"Why are you helping me?" Merlin sounded genuinely confused. "If your father finds out it was you..."

Arthur looked into Merlin's eyes, cupping his cheek gently with his palm to keep him in place, eyes full of concern.

"Because you are my friend, Merlin." And perhaps it wasn't that simple, maybe it was something more – and Arthur felt like it might be – but for now it would have to do. It was the best he could do. "And contrary to popular belief I actually care about you, god help me."

Merlin's own eyes widened slightly and then he pulled back, turning away. Arthur's hand dropped to the damp, straw covered floor.

"I was afraid you'd died, or that you hadn't been to see me because of what I am." Merlin looked back at Arthur, there was sadness and a sense of hopelessness in the warlock's eyes that Arthur never wanted to see again. "I'd hoped it was the second one but I didn't..."

Merlin swallowed down the rest of the words and focused his gaze on the floor. Though Arthur had no reason to feel guilty the pressure in his chest suggested he did anyway.

"I didn't die, and if I'd been awake I would have helped you escape sooner. I don't care what you are and I don't believe you would ever use your magic to harm someone... I'm not sure you could if you're as useless at it as you are everything else" Arthur stood up holding his hand out to Merlin. "Now come on."

"No, I'm not going to run Arthur, there's no point. Camelot is my home; if I can't come back then what's the point of escaping at all?" Merlin sighed, eyes dropping to look at the cell floor. "I have nowhere else to go."

"You can go far away, where my father can't harm you. You can't just stay here to die." Arthur shook his head. "I'll find a way to...change his mind, eventually, I won't see you killed."

"I won't run away Arthur, it was my destiny to fight by your side, without you I'm nothing, how can I save you when I'm nowhere near you?" Merlin curled into the weight of his own destiny with a helpless frustration and shuffled away slightly, closing his eyes against the truth of it.

"How can you save me if you're dead?" Arthur grabbed Merlin's hand, it was cold in his when everything about Merlin was normally so warm. "If you want to die, that's your choice, but don't expect me to sit by and let it happen. I'll carry you out of here if I have too."

Merlin stared at where Arthur's hand held his and swallowed. The promise of it was a bitter reminder that if he left now he would never come back – there was no changing Uther's mind – and if only Arthur knew how he felt, if only he could make Arthur understand.

"Arthur, just...don't..." He heard a door open at the end of the corridor, and the sound of footsteps as the guards arrived. "I-I..."

"Merlin you idiot, move... Please." There was desperation in Arthur's voice that Merlin had heard very few times before, the princes eyes were practically begging the sorcerer to get up, he didn't want to hurt Merlin by dragging him out, and now it was too late anyway. And it was then Merlin made his decision, the sentence he'd been so longing to say pushing itself past his lip.

"Arthur, I-" Merlin never finished it, the guards yells blocked out the rest of his words as they poured into the cell in a rush of clattering armour. Arthur struggled against the guards who had him restrained by the arms and watched helplessly on as Merlin was chained back to the wall whilst Arthur was dragged from the cell.

"Let me go, I'm the crown prince of Camelot, you cannot treat me like this - let me- Merlin!" Arthur's last word was shouted as he disappeared from Merlin's view, the boy sighed, head falling to rest on the stone wall as the first threat of tears stung at his eyes.

xxXxx

When the day of the execution came, everything was set up in a hurry; it had already been postponed for three days because it had been difficult to clean up after the battle and there hadn't been time.

Camelot was still grieving over its losses, yet still people crowded around the place where Merlin was soon to be executed, even while the smell of old death clung to them like a shroud – perhaps this death would feel like justice to them.

Uther stood on his usual balcony above the courtyard, his face solemn, ready to give his usual speech. Arthur stood dejectedly next to him, his father had been scarily angry at his attempt to rescue Merlin, very angry, he'd shouted at the young prince for the good part of an hour, before quite literally throwing Arthur into his room, ordering the guards not to let him out till morning.

It was humiliating.

And now Arthur stood by his father, king and prince side by side. Arthur hated it, and for one sharp moment he hated his father as well. How many innocent people had died by his orders? How many people had the king murdered? Too many, and now he was going to kill Merlin. A crime Arthur would never forget and never forgive.

Too soon the drums sounded out across the courtyard and Merlin was bought to stand in front of the crowds. Uther began his speech.

"This boy, Merlin, is guilty of conspiring to use magic and consistent to the laws of Camelot I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed such practices are banned on penalty of death." Arthur couldn't listen to anymore, and it him that he had one last chance to save Merlin, like he'd said to the sorcerer; he wouldn't just sit by and let him die.

He found himself running down corridors, and flinging himself down stairs, this was his last chance. He had to get there now...

Uther glanced at the place his son had been and sighed. The prince would have to learn that to be king he would have to make some difficult decisions. This was one of them, Uther had no trouble in executing the sorcerer, but he knew his son had been friends with the servant – as ridiculous as that may be. It didn't matter; his son would come round to see it from his point of view, he had to. Uther continued to speak.

"I pride myself as a fair and just king, but for the crime of sorcery there is but one sentence I can pass."

The king nodded, and Merlin was bought forward with his hands tied behind him, and he was shoved down, wincing as his chin collided with the rough wooden block, stained red with the blood of those killed before him.

The king raised his arm and the executioner stepped forward raising the large axe gripped tightly in his gloved hands. The shining steel glinted in the sunlight of the hot Camelot sun.

Something glinted behind Uther's eyes, something cruel and bitter.

Merlin squeezed his eyes shut as Uthers hand fell and the axe began to drop.

**A/N Cliff hanger again, just to keep you all interested. I Hope you liked this one, please review,** **feel free to point out mistakes and all that – I'm always looking too improve! **


	13. Chapter 13A

**A/N Hello, Um, right, had three ways this could end but have decided on this one... Again thank you all who have read my badly written and slightly rushed story, put up with my overuse of words, my annoyingly long A/N's my terrible grammar and occasional misspelling and misuse of words. Cookies to reviewers, you make my day. Cookies to Basia Orci**,**splash13, kattastic999, Cleopatra's snake and kazuryoshi and all new reviewers. I have terrible writers block on this story at the moment, but I promise I'll have the rest up soon!**

**Part 13**

Merlin squeezed his eyes shut as Uther's hand fell and the axe began to drop.

_Life, love, death, they are all the same, a never ending circle, a balance that must never – can never- be upset. The stars glowed brighter the day a warlock was born, a sorcerer who would grow so powerful he could give and take life with the wave of a hand, but it takes far more to breath a life back into exsistence._

_The creatures and people of the old magic told stories of his greatness before he could walk, how he would be the one to unite the land of Albion, if only fate allows his destiny._

_But fate is a hard thing to understand. She does not care for destiny, does not care for love, she is a hard thing to win, a hard thing to beat._

_The young sorcerer came to Camelot, and walked into his death with no knowledge or sense of it. Fate had decided the boy would die. Prince Arthur had a different plan completely._

Morgana watched events unfold from her window, she hated Uther more with each day that passed but this was a new low even for him, Merlin looked so defeated. And could Uther really not see the bond between Merlin and Arthur? The king must be blind if he did not.

Her servant Gwen was moving about the room, completing small tasks and arranging flowers, doing her best to complete her duties. They were small things, meaningless, but Morgana knew what Gwen was going through and she thought that maybe having something to take her mind off it was helping. Morgana had nothing to take her mind off it.

With every sob that shuddered from Gwen Morgana began to regret not allowing the assassins to kill Uther while they'd had the chance.

Uthers' arm raised and Morgana looked away, she couldn't watch, not this. Not this.

Merlin waited with his heart throbbing in his chest for the axe to hit with his eyes tight shut. The blow never came.

"You can open your eyes now Merlin," Arthur's voice reached the young sorcerers ears and Merlin's eyes shot open.

**A/N: This chapter is very short - #stating the obvious.**


	14. Chapter 13B The final chapter

**A/N Wrote this watching the new series of Merlin (ETA: At the time the new series was in fact series 2), This chapter is long overdue..**

**Right, at the end of this chapter I will be handing out cookies to the new reviewers and giving special thanks to those who have stuck with the story, through bad writing and not quite as bad writing, you won't be left out. Thank you.**

**Still please review. Feel free to give constructive criticism/Point out one of my many terrible mistakes. (I don't have a beta-reader yet.) ETA: I still don't. **

**The final chapter****.**

Merlin opened his eyes, only to feel a rush of wind as the axe fell just millimetres in front of his face. He let out a small yelp and threw himself backwards.

"Or...Maybe you should have kept your eyes closed for a few more seconds." Arthur's voice reached Merlin's ears. Merlin turned to look at the prince who had a slight smirk on his face. The Executioner lie a metre or so away, unconscious.

That actually explained quite a lot, including the strange squeal the executioner had made seconds before Arthur had spoken (Merlin had just presumed it was some sort of bizarre battle cry). He stared for a few moments at the prince with a dazed look on his face and then the momentum of what had just happened hit him. Hard.

"Arthur! What are you doing!?" He stared up at the prince; blue eyes wide with shock, Arthur would be in more trouble than he could possibly understand for this. He was defying the king, aiding a sorcerer, and all of it in front of the people. It was insane.

"Rescuing you, idiot, what does it look like? You didn't think I'd actually given up did you?" Arthur smirked, but it slipped away at the look of pure rage on the kings face, he'd been planning on...making some sort of speech, using his words, making his father understand but right now that didn't look likely. Right, plan B then. Get Merlin out of Camelot.

"Can you undo the binds, with your magic I mean?" The sentence tasted odd on Arthurs tongue, he was helping a sorcerer. Arthur Gestured to the material wrapped tight round Merlin's wrists, his wrists had been bound for so long now that the binds were starting to feel like a second skin to him.

"Yes but-" Merlin tried to think of a reason not to, but he knew that right now was his last chance and Arthur was risking too much - he couldn't let that be for nothing- so instead the magic slipped from his mouth, words wrapping like liquid gold around the binds which slithered to the floor.

Arthur watched with an expression of detached amazement at the golden glow of his friend's eyes and the easiness at which he could speak the words which sounded so foreign to the prince. He snapped into action the minute Merlin was free.

He grabbed Merlin's hand, avoiding his wrist which looked like it would be painful to the touch with the skin rubbed away and the wound oozing blood.

The guards and few remaining knights were making their way through the bustling crowd, pushing people carelessly out of the way, one or two hung back with the shock of the event gluing them in place. A crossbow bolt whizzed past Merlin's ear.

Arthur dragged Merlin through the crowd, dodging knights and citizens caught in the middle of it all, desperation setting in as the guards drew closer. Merlin narrowly missed the blade of a sword that swung only inches away from his neck.

"Merlin, when I tell you to, run. I'll hold them off. There's a horse ready for you at the stables, you need to ride, and don't stop till you're well out of Camelot." More crossbows fired scattering the bolts at their feet, narrowly missing the pair. Uther was gesturing wildly for the crossbows to be stopped, they were flying too close to his son and to the people of Camelot, but the crowd was turning into a riot.

"Arthur, Camelot is my home, Ealdor is to close, there's nowhere for me to go!" Merlin's protest just made Arthur growl as swords were swung and the world closed in around them.

"You'll find somewhere, now ru-" The pause was followed by a deathly sort of silence and Arthur's fingers slipped gently from Merlin's. The young sorcerer stopped, swinging round to see the prince fall to his knees, pain filling his eyes. Time stopped, in that second, because the prince had just been shot.

Blood seeped through Arthur's fingers, the prince's hands clutched to his own chest, wet fingers tugging clumsily at the piece of wood protruding from his chest. Merlin was by his side in an instant. The deadly projectiles stopped almost as suddenly as they'd begun. Someone in the crowd screamed, the guards froze where they were, and Uther disappeared from the balcony.

Merlin moved Arthur's hands gently away with a sort of desperate panic. Merlin knew nothing about medicine, but he knew a lot about magic, and he'd already seen one friend die in such a similar way...Merlin had, for the longest time, blamed himself for Will's death, and perhaps that was illogical, but he had. He'd flipped through magic books researching ways he could have saved his childhood friend, for things he could have done differently, and it at least meant that now – _**now**_ he might be able to help.

He might know how to save Arthur, and he was willing to pay any price to save the prince. The words left his mouth and he didn't stop to think of the consequences, this might kill him, but right now he didn't care, Arthur couldn't die. He _couldn't._

With the press of Merlin's fingers the arrow seemed to disintegrate from Arthur's chest. Merlin's very atoms shook with the power of the magic, his eyes burning, he could do this.

Footsteps rang out across the courtyard signalling Uther's arrival. Merlin didn't stop. The kings enraged shouts didn't even reach his ears.

"Merlin what- what are you doing." Arthur gasped struggling to speak through the pain and confusion.

Merlin didn't reply. Instead he closed his eyes, pulling Arthur closer and placing his hand tighter on the wound, his brow was creased with concentration.

"It's alright Arthur. You're not going to die. I'd gladly give your life for mine." The skin of Arthur's chest knitted almost completely together and Merlin held back a yelp as a searing pain spilled from the same place in his own, it felt like the wound had torn itself into Merlin's own skin– life given life taken – but he didn't stop. When he took one last look at Arthur's eyes he could see the stars. "

Merlin wondered what happened when you died. He didn't have much time to think about it as the darkness swallowed him.

xxXxx

By the time Uther was close, both boys lay on the floor, eyes closed. Neither seemed to be breathing. There was a lot of blood.

Uther ran to his son, dropping to his knees, holding back a tidal wave of terrible anguish.

Arthur's eyes opened, but for the moment they saw only Merlin. There was a lot of blood. Merlin didn't open his eyes.

xxXxx

When they bought Merlin to Gauis the physician took one look at the boy and his face grew pale.

Arthur's heart sank.

xxXxx

Arthur held Merlin's hand while Gaius tended to the injury, he received a few looks but no one had the cruelty to question it out loud, Morgana and Gwen visited for the briefest of moments but for the most part they left them alone.

Merlin drifted in his dreams for the longest of times, but this time when he saw Arthur the prince pushed the sword into his chest instead. Merlin stopped breathing some time on the first night. Arthur stopped breathing too.

It was only when Merlin's breath returned that his did also

xxXxx

On the second day Merlin's eyes opened.

He groaned, hand moving to his head, before he dropped it back down as if burnt, pain searing from his chest as his arm moved upwards too quickly.

Arthurs gaze flickered upwards as the sorcerer stirred.

"Merlin?" Arthur was much paler than usual, his voice was strained with the effort of saying Merlin's name but most of all with the hope of it.

Merlin's eyes opened again, slower this time and smiled weakly.

"Welcome back." Arthur smiled tentatively back. "You had me worried for a while there."

"Wha- I thought I'd wake up with no head...or not at all." Merlin shuddered slightly, scrunching his eyes shut and letting his head fall back into the pillow. "What happened?"

"You almost didn't wake up." Arthur shrugged with strained casualness leaning back in the chair that now took residence besides Merlin's bed, book in his hands. He had bags under his eyes from a sleepless night and worry he couldn't quite conceal. "Honestly Merlin, performing magic in front of my father, **twice**, only you could do something quite so idiotic."

"The spell worked then?" Merlin's question was tentative. It was odd speaking to Arthur about magic, after keeping the secret for so long it was hard to shed the weight of it.

"I Wouldn't be here if it hadn't. You saved my life, again." Arthurs smiled warmly. "I Can't say my father was too happy about it, but when you have a crowd of angry guards, a half dead prince, and a riot of people who want the sorcerer released..."

"Your father...you mean he- I'm not banished?" Which would have been the smallest, but one of the most painful, punishments he supposed he could hope to have received.

"The people of Camelot like you Merlin, and so do I, don't get me wrong he'll make your life a living hell – and mine too no doubt - but you're welcome to stay in Camelot for as long as you like." And that said it all really.

"I don't suppose this means I don't have to muck out your stables anymore...I mean I did save your life..."

"You're not _that_lucky." Arthur laughed and Merlin's grin lit up the room.

**A/N So that's it. Thank you everyone who have reviewed and stuck by me. **

**Cookies for:** **00MeLiSsA00, XsuicideXkittyX ,Venus Hope, Perso, MIS-MATCHED SOCKS, ProdigiousDiscourse, Rosie99, luvondarox, brezy bri, Lady Of The Poem, darkfire.**

**Special thanks to:****MagicByMerlin, Loopstagirl, kattastic999, bluecup94**

**Many thanks again for reading, constructive criticism is always welcome!**


	15. Next time!

**A/N Right so this is as much for my benefit as yours, just a small taste of what's to come (ETA: It was beneficial to me after all, I now remember what the sequel was going to be. I doubt I'll ever write it but you never know)... I know fourth kingdom does not sound good, and if you have a better name I would like to hear it, don't worry, I will put special thanks to you at the beginning of the story if I choose yours!**

**The next time is a selection of basic notes for things to come, not actual chunks of the story.**

_**Next time on Merlin...**_

The sound of horses galloping filled the air as a line of horses and one carriage approached, led by a knight sat proudly at the front, armour shining brightly in the afternoon sun.

The knight jumps down from the horse with a flourish, removing the helmet, long hair falls to her shoulders.

She looks up at Arthur with a small bright mischievous grin.

"Lady Jessica, at your service m'lord. Knight of the fourth kingdom"

The door of the carriage opens to reveal a man with dark hair like feathers and blue eyes full of power, the rest of his face covered.

"Arthur, meet the prince of the fourth kingdom." Uther turns to his son, who looks utterly shocked.

xxXxx

The dragon roars, great wings flexing, claws flashing in the light as he lashes out.

A familiar laugh echoes around the cave as a hooded figure is revealed, ice cold flame erupts from the figures hands straight towards the dragons face.

xxXxx

Something moves in the darkness of the room, a slithering sound, and a hiss, the flash of a red eyes glitter in the darkness

xxXxx

Arthur is staring at Merlin, sword at his friend's throat. "What the hell is going on here Merlin?!"

"MERLIN" Arthurs yell echoes across the scene of blood splattering the floor and walls.

The warning bells ring out over Camelot

The first story ends, and the second is about to begin...

* * *

**And then as an added lulzy bonus:**

"Arthur, please..." Merlin looked at him looking worried.

"No merlin! I know! I know what you are! Your eyes change colour, you're incredibly fast and you really are ridiculously pale..."

Merlin flinched away from Arthurs anger.

"Say it...out loud..." Merlin just wanted to hear Arthur say it, the secret was killing him, and he was glad Arthur finally knew.

"A vampire." Arthur said, deadly serious. Merlin looked up.

"Are you afraid?" Merlin asked quietly.

"Merlin, you just fell out of a tree trying to demonstrate your 'amazing vampire powers' of course I'm not afraid." Arthur looked vaguely incredulous and Merlin felt just a little disappointed.

**End.**


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